From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: Normal life was disrupted throughout Assam on Monday with the VHP, BJP and ABVP calling for a statewide bandh protesting the UPA government’s reported intention to swap land with Bangladesh during Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka to settle the age-old boundary dispute with Bangladesh.
The VHP, BJP and ABVP have taken strong exception to the stand of Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi who will be in the entourage of the PM along with three other chief ministers from the North East, in ‘favour’ of swapping of Assam’s land with the neighbouring country to facilitate demarcation of the border and completion of border fencing work.
Business establishments and several banking institutions remained closed in the state during the bandh hours while inter-state and long-distance travel by road within the state was totally disrupted as buses were off the highways. Railway and flight services, however, remained unaffected by the bandh call.
Teachers’ Day celebrations in several educational institutions were marred due to the bandh as most private schools remained closed though educational institutions were exempted from the purview of the bandh by the protesting groups. Picketers reportedly tried to enforce the bandh at several places.
Regarding his comment about resolving the Indo-Bangladesh border dispute by possible swapping of land in adverse possession of both the countries, Tarun Gogoi claimed that he did not mean that the state’s interest will be ignored in such a scenario.
“It is up to the government of India to settle those long-pending disputes. But, as far as my knowledge goes, we are only going to gain (from the exchange),” Gogoi has said.
According to an official source while about 160 acres of area in Boroibari in Assam’s Dhubri district is likely to be given away to Bangladesh which in lieu will have to give up its claim over about 360 acres in Palakhal in Karimganj district except for about 69 acres.
Another area of about 75 acres in Latitila-Dumabari, also in Karimganj district is likely to be conceded, provided Bangladesh agrees to give up claim over the 360 acres in Palakhal, leaving Assam a gainer.
The government informed the Rajya Sabha few days back that Bangladesh was in adverse possession of 665 acres of land in the Assam sector. This includes about 160 acres in Dhubri district, and two plots of 360 acres and 145 acres in Karimganj district. Sixteen BSF jawans were killed by their Bangladesh counterparts at Boroibari during a clash over land in April 2001.